Family Scenario

Family Scenario Project

Brittany Clayton

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

Case Study 4: The Meyers Family

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Paula and Larry Meyers live in your community with their two children, Kelly (4) and Lisa (18

months). Lisa is not showing the normal development that Kelly did at this age, and Paula is very

concerned. Lisa is not yet standing or walking. She does not respond to the family with love and

affection and often seems to be in her own little world. Their pediatrician has suggested that the

Meyers take Lisa to a neurologist for some testing. After extensive tests, it is determined that

Lisa has cerebral palsy. Paula and Larry want to provide Lisa with every possible opportunity for

normal life.

1. Carefully define the needs and potential issues of each family member.

There may be one family member in particular who has an obvious need,

but in a family, all of its members will have needs of their own in relation

to that member and to each other. Try to identify 10 or more needs/issues

to earn the most points.

a. Paula Meyers

i. Community Services

ii. Supportive Services

iii. Could suffer from depression

iv. Could need a chance to speak with other parents of children

with cerebral palsy

v. This diagnosis could cause financial issues

vi. This diagnosis could lead to a divorce

vii. The mother may experience isolation

viii. The mother may have unmanageable anger

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ix. Lisa may experience depression

x. Lisa could experience a loss of her job

b. Larry Meyers

i. Community Services

ii. Supportive Services

iii. Larry may experience self doubt from financial stress

iv. Larry may have anger from working many hours

v. Larry may loose his job from missing too much work

vi. Larry may experience depression

vii. Larry and Paula may go through a divorce

viii. Larry may have trouble balancing work, Lisa and Kelley as

well as his marriage

ix. Larry may experience high stress levels

x. Larry may isolate himself

c. Lisa Meyers

i. Lisa may experience higher than normal levels of jealousy

ii. Lisa may have trouble adapting to the changes that come

along with her sisters diagnosis

iii. Lisa may need sibling support services

iv. Lisa may experience anger issues as a result of feeling

neglected

v. Lisa may have higher stress levels

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vi. Lisa may be forced to grow up faster than other children

her age

vii. Lisa may experience educational issues

viii. Lisa may get into trouble at school

ix. Lisa may have trouble expressing her feelings

x. Lisa may become depressed

d. Kelley Meyers

i. Kelly may need community Services

ii. Kelley may need supportive Services

iii. Kelley may need rehabilitative Services

iv. Kelley may experience behavioral issues

v. Kelley may have trouble connecting emotionally with

others

vi. Kelley may have many troubles with her education

vii. Kelley may need glasses or hearing aids

viii. Kelley may have trouble communicating her thoughts and

feelings

ix. Kelley may experience exclusion

x. Kelley may have trouble with anxiety

2. Think about the integral parts of the microsystem:

● Community

● Media

● Peers
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● Family (in the home and the extended family)

● School

Think of ways each of these will be involved in this family’s needs and

issues. Explain in detail and don’t skip any of them!

a. The community is an important aspect of helping a family that has

a child with cerebral palsy. Starting fundraisers and supporting the

family financially is a great way to help the family that won’t

require much effort. Another way the community could help would

be to make things handicap accessible by building ramps and

making sure there are an abundance of parking spaces available for

the child. Another great support the community would be able to

provide to this family is building a playground with equipment

suitable for Kelley’s condition.

b. Media is a good support system for Kelly’s parents. There are

many support groups online that they are able to join in order to

connect with other parents of children with cerebral palsy and to

get information on how to cope with situations they may be going

through.

c. Peers could be a good support system for the entire family. Having

peers to speak with Kelley and Lisa may make their transition

easier. It also may help with anger and isolation issues that the

entire family may face.

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d. Family is the best support system that could be offered. Having

family who understand that even though you may want to be alone,

it isn’t what you need and will force the needed interaction.

Extended family would be a help to the parents by helping them

with doctors appointments, babysitting, making dinner, cleaning

the house and many other aspects. Family in the home will be able

to support each other by being the person to talk to another may

need and by helping each other through tough situations.

e. Teachers and school officials could be a good support system in

many ways. Teachers could support the child and their learning

while being understanding. Teachers could also do things such as

supporting the child’s independence and by helping the other

children understand the obstacles the child may experience.

Teachers could implement an IEP for the child to help them

succeed.

3. Explain how some of these parts may interact with each other (family with

school, school with family, community with family, family with

community, peers with family, etc.). (mesosystems)

a. Community may interact with media by giving online resources to

the family that could help them. They could also do things such as

offer low cost child care for the family and provide words of

encouragement through media when the parents aren’t able to

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communicate any other way. Online grocery ordering is another

way these two interact.

b. The media and peers are things that interact with one another to

provide support to the parents in offering online support groups.

They also may interact with peers using the media to find

references for the family.

c. Peers and family may interact in many ways. The extended family

may reach out to peers in order to help when they are unable to.

The immediate family may be supported by finding peers for the

children to play with and interact with.

d. Family and school go hand in hand. The family will reach out to

the school in order to find resources, help the child in school and at

home and many other things. The teachers may also reach out to

the parents and offer suggestions and advice to the family.

e. The school and community may interact in that the school may

reach out to the community to support the family. They may ask

for donations, supporters and more.

4. Explain how the exosystems might affect this family (as a whole and

individually) by means of any of these that may apply:

a. Social services

i. Social services could provide information about services

they may not be aware of and getting them started with

receiving help. They also can help the family to better

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understand important obstacles and options for financial

assistance. They could also be an advocate for the family

within the workplace.

b. The employment of family members

i. Many parents that have a child with special needs may lose

their job due to missing days for surgeries and

appointments. This job loose could result in financial

problems, depression and the possibility of suicide.

c. The school board

i. Children with disabilities will need special instruction,

extra help, an IEP and a caring environment where they are

able to learn and to be in the least restrictive environment

possible. The school board is able to provide children with

cerebral palsy all of this and they are able to work with the

family to target different strategies to help the child adjust.

d. The community government

i. The local government helps families that have children

with disabilities by “providing services to promote self-

sufficiency, independence prevention, health, and safety,”

("Indiana Disabilities Organizations | IN*SOURCE - Special

Education Parent Support", n.d.). “The Indiana’s Governor’s

Council is an independent state agency that facilitates

change. Their mission is to advance the independence,

productivity, and inclusion of people with disabilities in all

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aspects of society,” ("Indiana Disabilities Organizations |

IN*SOURCE - Special Education Parent Support", n.d.).

e. Federal and State government

i. The Federal and State government offers things such as

health care, employment, housing assistance, education and

cash assistance to families who have children with cerebral

palsy.

5. How could the macrosystems affect this family (as a whole and

individually) by means of:

a. Science and Technology

i. Advancements in Science are allowing children with

cerebral palsy and other disabilities the hope for a cure, a

chance to move freely with the use of electronic

wheelchairs, medicine to help relieve pain and help them

speak using communication boards.

b. Culture and Ethnicity

i. “The increased risk of cerebral palsy among black infants is

primarily related to their higher risk of low birth weight,”

(Sanua, 2002).

ii. “Most Asian national origin subgroups have a lower rate of

CP than whites, and this disparity is unexplained,” (Lang,

et al., 2012).

c. Economics
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i. Having children with disabilities can cause a financial

strain on families. This can lead to divorce, bankrupcy,

stress, suicide and depression.

d. Politics

i. The Individuals With Disabilities Act helps schools to

abide by legal obligations to educate children with any

disability and in certain circumstances help with the

financial burden of doing so.

e. Religion

i. Some religions believe that everyone is made the same, in

God’s eye. Other religions believe that aborting a child or

putting a child up for adoption for any reason, including a

disability, is a sin. Other religions believe in ableism, or

discrimation for people with disabilities.

(Discuss any and all that could apply)

6. How might society as a whole (chronosystem) affect this family?

a. The effects society would have on the Meyer family would be

determined by their community. If they are involved in a caring

community, this would allow them to have more resources and

support. If, on the other hand, their community is judgemental or

unsympathetic, this could harm them as they could have more

issues with things such as entering buildings.

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7. Analyze this family and determine and list the strengths it has. (1) Try to

identify at least 8 strengths to earn the most points. It is important to

determine a family’s strengths before we can determine the best ways to

help. (2) Next, explain in detail why it is important to support the strengths

a family does have. Don’t forget this!

a. The parents are attentive, because they noticed the signs of

something being wrong immediately.

b. The Meyer family is caring because they want what is best for

Kelley.

c. The Meyer parents are loving parents because they are looking out

for their child’s best interests.

d. The Meyers are concerned parents because once they noticed

something was wrong with Kelley, they immediately began to

figure out what the issue was.

e. The parents are patient because they had a very hard waiting time

to find out the results of the tests.

f. This family is very strong because they choose to work together

instead of letting this diagnosis tear them apart.

g. The Meyers are supportive as they try and make Kelley’s life as

normal as possible.

h. The Meyers are Sedulous because they are choosing not to give up

on Kelley.
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i. This family is encouraging because they are willing to do anything

it takes to help Kelley.

j. The Meyer family is dependable. They made sure Kelley made it

to her appointments.

k. This family is compassionate because this diagnosis didn’t make

them love Kelley any less than Lisa.

l. Supporting the strengths of this family will help them to be ready

to meet Kelley’s needs. It will help them have the strength they

need to get through days that may seem impossible and when they

feel supported and their strengths are pointed out, they are more

likely to avoid depression.

8. Locate and list 10 or more community resources that could help this

family. These should be local agencies in your particular community!

Remember to consider the needs and issues of all family members (go

back to item #1).

a. Damar Services

i. Address

1. 6067 Decatur Blvd. Indianapolis, IN 46241

ii. Phone Number

1. 317-856-5201

iii. Website

1. http://www.damar.org/

iv. Hours
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1. 9 a.m.-8 a.m. Monday-Sunday

v. Services Provided

1. Behavioral Health/Therapy

2. Education

3. Group Homes

4. Mental Health

5. Residential Placement

6. Therapy services

7. Transition to Adulthood

vi. Eligibility

1. Case by case basis

vii. Fees

1. Damar accepts a variety of funding, including some

Medicaid, and will work with each family on an

individual basis to identify the most appropriate

source of funding.

viii. Area Served

1. Entire state

b. Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services district 5

i. Address

1. 2620 Kessler Blvd. East Drive Suite #105

Indianapolis, IN 46220

ii. Phone Number

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1. 317-205-0101

iii. Website

1. http://www.in.gov/fssa/ddrs/4088.htm

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-4:30p.m. Monday through Friday

v. Services Provided

1. Case Management

2. Medicaid Waiver

3. Person Centered Planning

4. Residential Placement

5. Respite

6. Spanish speaking community/materials

vi. Eligibility

1. persons with a developmental disability, intellectual

disability or autism and who have substantial

functional limitations, as defined under the

paragraph for “Persons with related conditions” in

42 CFR 435.1010

vii. Fees

1. No fees

viii. Area Served

1. Boone

2. Hamilton
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3. Hancock

4. Hendricks

5. Johnson

6. Marion

7. Morgan

8. Shelby

c. United Cerebral Palsy Association of Greater Indiana, Inc.

i. Address

1. 6270 Corporate Dr. Indianapolis IN. 46278

ii. Phone Number

1. 317-871-4032

iii. Website

1. http://www.ucpaindy.org/

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. Case Management

2. Cerebral Palsy

3. Durable Medical Equipment

4. Education Scholarships

5. Financial Assistance

6. Information & Referral

7. Medical Supplies
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vi. Eligibility

1. People with cerebral palsy and their families

vii. Fees

1. No Fees

viii. Area Served

1. Entire State

d. Social Security Office

i. Address

1. 575 N. Pennsylvania St. Indianapolis, IN. 46204

Room 685

ii. Phone Number

1. 1-800-772-1213

iii. Hours

1. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday

iv. Services Provided

1. Apply for Disability Benefits

2. How to Apply for Medicare Benefits

3. Check Application Status

v. Eligibility

1. Case by case

vi. Fees

1. No fees

vii. Area Served

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1. The entire state

e. Indiana Speech-Language-Hearing Association

i. Address

1. 1829 Cunningham Road Indianapolis, IN 46224-

0167

ii. Phone Number

1. (317) 916-4146

iii. Website

1. http://www.islha.org/

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. Support and empower members

2. Assist with communication

3. Swallowing and hearing services

vi. Eligibility

1. Speech, language, hearing disorder

vii. Fees

1. Case by case basis

viii. Area Served

1. Entire state

f. Maternal and Child Health Services (MCHS), Indiana State

Department of Health
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i. Address

1. 2 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46204

ii. Phone Number

1. (317) 233-1325

iii. Website

1. http://www.in.gov/isdh/19571.htm

iv. Hours

1. 8:15 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. provides supplemental medical coverage

2. pay for treatment

vi. Eligibility

1. age birth to 21 years of age

2. meet the program’s financial and medical criteria

vii. Fees

1. No fees upon approval

viii. Area Served

1. Entire state

g. Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

i. Address

1. 2 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis,, IN 46204

ii. Phone Number

1. 317-232-7349
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iii. Website

1. http://www.cdhhe.isdh.in.gov/

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. Comprehensive diagnostic hearing assessment

2. Newborn hearing screening

3. Behavioral hearing assessments

4. Hearing aid consultation/evaluation, fitting and

verification

5. Consultation

6. resources

vi. Eligibility

1. Determined by first steps

vii. Fees

1. Determined by First Steps

viii. Area Served

1. Entire state

h. First Steps (Federal Part C)

i. Address

1. 402 W. Washington Street, Rm W-453

Indianapolis, IN 46204

ii. Phone Number

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1. (317) 232-1142

iii. Website

1. http://www.firststeps.in.gov/

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. First Steps/Early Intervention

2. Therapy services

vi. Eligibility

1. (a) any child less than three (3) years of age who

is experiencing a developmental delay of 25% in

one area of development or 20% in two or more

areas of development including cognitive, social-

emotional, physical, speech, self-help skills;

2. (b) have a diagnosed physical or mental condition

that has a high probability of resulting in

developmental delay; or

3. (c) have a medical category of eligibility, for

example, chromosomal abnormalities,

neurological disorder, severe toxic exposure or

low birth weight.

vii. Fees

1. No fee
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viii. Area Served

1. Entire state

i. Indiana Family and Social Services Administration

i. Address

1. 402 W. Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46207

ii. Phone Number

1. 800-403-0864

iii. Website

1. http://www.in.gov/fssa/

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. Advocacy

2. Deaf/Hard of Hearing

3. Developmental Delays/Disability

4. Financial Assistance

5. First Steps/Early Intervention

6. Medicaid

7. Medicaid Waiver

8. Visually Impaired / Blind

9. Vocational Rehabilitation

vi. Eligibility

1. Income based
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vii. Fees

1. Income based

viii. Area Served

1. Entire state

j. Indiana Protection & Advocacy Services (IPAS)

i. Address

1. 4701 N. Keystone Avenue, Suite 222 Indianapolis,

IN 46205

ii. Phone Number

1. (800) 622-4845

iii. Website

1. http://www.in.gov/ipas/index.htm

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. provide legal representation

2. Defend all rights of people with disabilities

vi. Eligibility

1. People with disabilities

vii. Fees

1. Case by case

viii. Area Served

1. Entire state
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k. Indiana Department of Education

i. Address

1. 151 West Ohio Street Indianapolis, IN 46204

ii. Phone Number

1. (317) 232-6610

iii. Website

1. http://www.doe.in.gov/

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. promoting education stability for youth

2. incorporating strategies to improve educational

outcomes

vi. Eligibility

1. No requirements

vii. Fees

1. No fees

viii. Area Served

1. Entire state

l. About Special Kids, Inc. (ASK)

i. Address

1. 7172 Graham Road Indianapolis, IN 46250

ii. Phone Number

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1. 317-257-8683

iii. Website

1. http://www.aboutspecialkids.org/

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. Advocacy

2. Information & Referral

3. Parent Education/Training

4. Parent to Parent/Matching

5. Professional Development

vi. Eligibility

1. No requirements

vii. Fees

1. No cost

viii. Area Served

1. Entire state

m. Access Ministry - Special Needs Ministry of The Creek

i. Address

1. 6430 South Franklin Road Indianapolis, IN 46259

ii. Phone Number

1. 317-862-6430

iii. Website
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1. http://www.thecreek.org/

iv. Hours

1. Hours depend on service

v. Services Provided

1. Family Support

2. Ministry for persons with disabilities

3. Recreation (General)/Sports/Aquatics

4. Respite

5. Siblings

vi. Eligibility

1. No Requirements

vii. Fees

1. No Cost

viii. Area Served

1. Hancock

2. Johnson

3. Marion

n. Adaptive educational Services (AES) - IUPUI

i. Address

1. Joseph T. Taylor Hall (UC), Room 100 815

Michigan St. Indianapolis IN. 46202

ii. Phone Number

1. 317-274-3241
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iii. Website

1. http://https//diversity.iupui.edu/offices/aes/index.ht

ml

iv. Hours

1. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday

v. Services Provided

1. Post secondary education

2. Transition to Adulthood

vi. Eligibility

1. Children with documented disabilities

vii. Fees

1. Case by case basis

viii. Area Served

1. Marion County

o. CenterPoint Counseling

i. Address

1. 7700 N Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46260

ii. Phone Number

1. (317) 252-5518

iii. Website

1. http://www.centerpointcounseling.org

%20%26%20www.newdayindy.org/

iv. Hours
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1. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 2

p.m. Saturday

v. Services Provided

1. Counseling

2. Grief / Loss

3. Mental Health

vi. Eligibility

1. No requirements

vii. Fees

1. Depend on service

viii. Area Served

1. Hamilton

2. Marion

Choose resources in your particular community. Do an extensive search and don’t be limited to

just one source of information.

Your listing should include the following information about each agency:

Name of agency

Address

Phone

Hours

Services provided

Eligibility

Fees (if any)

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Area served

NOTE: Provide detailed information on each agency. Don’t just provide a website or other

general information that would require the family to do their own research and hunt for help on

their own. If you were actually going to give these resources to a real family that was going

through some troubling issues, they would appreciate the fact that you already did the necessary

legwork and got all the information they needed. This is what it means to be an advocate for

families.

9. In your conclusion, explain in at least one paragraph, why it is important

for early childhood professionals to assist families in locating resources

and help they may need. Refer to a specific section or sections of the

NAEYC Code of Ethics to substantiate your position. (NOTE: Look in the

section of the Code about our Responsibilities to Families)

a. As parents, we have many things we must do to ensure that our

children have every available opportunity to succeed. It is our job

to raise them to be respectful, polite, caring, smart and loving as

well as many other things. Simply teaching our children this isn’t

enough however, we must also deal with struggles that come from

things such as bullying, unwanted diagnosis, sickness and

heartbreak. Having these many things on your mind at all times is

tough for any parent, so when they receive a diagnosis such as

cerebral palsy for their infant, this can take a dramatic toll on them.

As educators part of our due diligence is to assist families in

certain circumstances in finding resources that will help them in

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any way. These resources will take some strain off of their already

racing minds. The NAEYC Code of Ethics P-2.15 states, “We shall

be familiar with and appropriately refer families to community

resources and professional support services. After a referral has

been made, we shall follow up to ensure that services have been

appropriately provided,” (NAEYC). As well as idea I-2.9 which

states “To foster families’ efforts to build support networks and,

when needed, participate in building networks for families by

providing them with opportunities to interact with program staff,

other families, community resources, and professional

services,”(NAEYC).

10. Finally, cite the sources you used to locate the helpful agencies for the

family. (Was it a county resource guide, a county Internet site, the Easy

Book, calling 211?)

Bibliography
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1. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.in.gov/dcs/3958.htm

2. Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Office - District 5 - Resource Directory. (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://www.aboutspecialkids.org/directory/provider/9243/Bureau-of-

Developmental-Disabilities-Office---District-5/

3. Header. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.in.gov/isdh/25883.htm

4. Indiana Cerebral Palsy Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.mycerebralpalsychild.org/resources/indiana/

5. Lang, T. C., Fuentes-Afflick, E., Gilbert, W. M., Newman, T. B., Xing, G., & Wu, Y. W.

(2012, April 1). Cerebral Palsy Among Asian Ethnic Subgroups. Retrieved from

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/129/4/e992?download=true

6. Lewis, L. (2017, March 27). 25 Cerebral Palsy Resources You Should Know About -

Friendship Circle - Special Needs Blog. Retrieved from

https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/11/06/20-cerebral-palsy-resources-you-

should-know-about/

7. Life without limits. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ucpaindy.org/

8. NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/position-statements/ethical-conduct

9. Resources Directory. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://cpfamilynetwork.org/resources/resources-guide/indiana-protection-advocacy-

services-ipas/

10. Sanua, V. D. (2002, August 28). A cross cultural study of cerebral palsy. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0037785670900090

11. Social Security. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/ic002View.action

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12. Social Security. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/ic001.action#officeResults

13. Vision, Mission and Core Values. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://islha1.wildapricot.org/Mission-and-Vision